Considering the exclusivity issues with privacy and security

Not everyone has access to private wifi. For one, setting up wifi at home costs money, and the monthly payments can ramp up quickly. For two, some people travel frequently, and when they’re on the road, all they might have access to are the free wifi connections from the library, the hotel, etc. Bottom line, situations sometimes leave people with no choice but to utilize public wifi.

This question of access led me to thinking about how some of the recommended cybersecurity and privacy behaviors aren’t inclusive enough. Granted, each has its merits and there are workarounds, but these workarounds can be frustrating, inconvenient, and sometimes expensive. For example, backing up your data: what if the device doesn’t have enough storage space for a full backup? What if using cloud storage isn’t an option due to limited data plans or connectivity issues? Perhaps an even more intriguing example is the advice that we should periodically upgrade our devices and update our software. It can be financially unfeasible.

Her research findings are a wake-up call. We all experience the world differently. Yet, when systems are designed and commercialized, only a very small percentage of perspectives and contexts are considered. By neglecting the needs of vulnerable populations and conforming to the way that privacy and security are treated as an afterthought, we inherently reinforce the idea that privacy and security are add-on luxuries. As such, it would be interesting to see how we might move past the current paradigm, integrate more diverse perspectives, and re-think this field as a facet of system design.

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